SKF NOTE: This is the first of two interview segments with Frankie Dunlop on December 13, 1984 at my rented home in Washington, CT. I am making available my full interview, no edits, with Frankie Dunlop. The interview took place in 1984 in two sessions. The first session, on October 16, 1984, was at my former in-law’s New York City apartment.

The December 13, 1984 second session took place at my rented cottage home in Washington, CT.

Topics covered in this sixth part of Frankie’s interview include Charlie Mingus, Bill Triglia, Booker Ervin, Don Friedman, Thelonious Monk, Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis, Julian Priester, Max Roach, Grachan Moncur III, Larry Ritchie, Ike Isaacs, Jimmy Wormworth, Henry Grimes, Roy Haynes, Monk’s funeral, Barry Harris, Charlie Rouse, Ray Copeland, Gerry Mulligan, Drummers who played with Monk, Thelonious Monk, Jr., Nica the Baroness, Monk played modern chords and that old, driving, Swing beat, Gretsch Drum Night at Birdland, Lena Horne, Grady Tate.

This segment includes two wonderful stories Frankie tells. The first story is about a Charlie Mingus rehearsal. The second story is about a Sonny Rollins club date. Frankie’s mimicking of both Mingus and Rollins still makes me laugh.

I’ve cleaned up the sound from the original audio cassettes with compression, and also noise reduction, to minimize tape hiss. Now and then there are sound hiccups. Otherwise the sound is intact. The taping starts and stops are not seamless. Our conversation does not flow undetected from one side of a tape to the next, or from one tape to another tape. While interviewing, I tried to keep my eye on the time, but didn’t always succeed.

However, where Frankie was making an important or interesting point and a tape abruptly ended, we picked up the point when the next tape started rolling.

There are seven approximately 45-minute sessions in total, roughly three-and-a-half 90-minute tapes.

I will give each session a full listen before uploading them, and provide topic highlights — an index — for listeners.

I believe this is the only taped interview with Frankie Dunlop in existence. Since 1984 no other taped interviews have surfaced. For that reason I would like to make these tapes available to the public for posterity. Especially for drummers and music historians.

I’m happy to answer questions. The best way to contact me is through my SKFBlog – Life Beyond the Cymbals.